Omeros Announces Agreement to Sell OMIDRIA® Franchise to Rayner Surgical in a Transaction Valued in Excess of $1 Billion

On December 2, 2021 Omeros Corporation (Nasdaq: OMER) reported that it has entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of OMIDRIA to Rayner Surgical Group Limited (Press release, Omeros, DEC 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234596430]). Expected to close on or before December 31, 2021, the transaction includes an upfront payment of $125 million with an additional $200 million in a commercial milestone payment . Omeros will also retain its accounts receivable balance at the closing, which was $34 million at the end of last quarter. Together with substantial royalties to be paid by Rayner to Omeros on net sales of OMIDRIA, the transaction is valued in excess of $1 billion.

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Rayner will pay Omeros royalties on both U.S. and ex-U.S. net sales of OMIDRIA. In the U.S., the royalty rate will be 50 percent of U.S. net sales until the earlier of either January 1, 2025 or payment of the $200-million commercial milestone, after which Omeros will receive royalties of 30 percent of U.S. net sales for the life of OMIDRIA’s U.S. patent estate. The commercial milestone payment is triggered if separate payment for OMIDRIA is secured for a continuous period of at least four years. Outside of the U.S., Omeros will receive a 15-percent royalty rate on OMIDRIA net sales throughout the applicable patent life on a country-by-country basis.

OMIDRIA will become a key product in Rayner’s ophthalmology franchise, which includes intraocular lenses, ophthalmic viscoelastic devices and dry eye treatments. As part of the agreement, Rayner will acquire the OMIDRIA commercial organization, including the OMIDRIA sales force. In addition, Rayner plans to expand the sales force in both the U.S. and ex-U.S., further strengthening its commercial presence internationally and further accelerating U.S. market growth of OMIDRIA.

"OMIDRIA will be an important part of our ophthalmic product portfolio internationally and a key strategic focus for Rayner," said Tim Clover, chief executive officer of Rayner. "Our new OMIDRIA business and commercial team of seasoned industry professionals are an ideal fit for Rayner as we focus on broadly serving ophthalmic surgeons with our pipeline of innovative products, including the recently FDA-approved RayOne EMV intraocular lens. We look forward to continue growing U.S. sales of OMIDRIA and the rest of our portfolio and to launching EMA-approved OMIDRIA throughout Europe and other regions of the world, consistent with our mission of offering superior products and outcomes for surgeons and their patients."

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.

"We are immensely proud of our OMIDRIA team and its achievements over the last seven years," said Gregory A. Demopulos, M.D., chairman and chief executive officer of Omeros. "OMIDRIA has become an important part of cataract surgery, de-risking the procedure for surgeons and improving patient outcomes. This transaction recognizes both the current and future value that OMIDRIA brings to cataract surgery, affording Omeros a significant ongoing economic interest in the expected growth of OMIDRIA, while allowing us to focus our efforts primarily on our complement franchise of large- and small-molecule MASP-2 and MASP-3 inhibitors as well as on the rest of our innovative pipeline. We believe that Rayner, with its expertise and increasingly strong international presence in ophthalmology, represents a great home for OMIDRIA and the product’s commercial team, and Omeros is committed to assist Rayner, throughout the transition and beyond, to maximize OMIDRIA utilization and revenues."

Conference Call Details

Omeros’ management will host a conference call to discuss today’s announcement. The call will be held today at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time; 5:30 a.m. Pacific Time. To access the live conference call via phone, please dial (844) 831-4029 from the United States and Canada or (920) 663-6278 internationally. The participant passcode is 9080996. A telephone replay will be available for one week following the call and may be accessed by dialing (855) 859-2056 from the United States and Canada or (404) 537-3406 internationally. The replay passcode is 9080996.

To access the live or subsequently archived webcast of the conference call on the internet, go to the company’s website at View Source

About OMIDRIA

Omeros’ OMIDRIA (phenylephrine and ketorolac intraocular solution) 1% / 0.3% is the first and only FDA-approved product of its kind and is marketed in the U.S. for use during cataract surgery or intraocular lens replacement to maintain pupil size by preventing intraoperative miosis (pupil constriction) and to reduce postoperative ocular pain. OMIDRIA also is the only NSAID-containing product FDA-approved for intraocular use. In post-launch studies across conventional and femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery, OMIDRIA has been shown to (1) prevent intraoperative floppy iris syndrome (IFIS) and iris prolapse, (2) significantly reduce complication rates (including sight-threatening cystoid macular edema and breakthrough iritis), use of pupil-expansion devices, and surgical times, (3) significantly reduce intraoperative use of the opioid fentanyl and postoperative prescription opioids, (4) enable performance of surgery and postoperative care without the use of steroids, and (5) significantly improve uncorrected visual acuity on the first day following cataract surgery. While OMIDRIA is broadly indicated for use in cataract surgery, the post-launch outcomes cited above are not in its currently approved labeling.

Important Safety Information for OMIDRIA Systemic exposure of phenylephrine may cause elevations in blood pressure. In clinical trials, the most common reported ocular adverse reactions at two percent or greater are eye irritation, posterior capsule opacification, increased intraocular pressure, and anterior chamber inflammation; incidence of adverse events was similar between placebo-treated and OMIDRIA-treated patients. OMIDRIA must be added to irrigation solution prior to intraocular use.

Delcath Corporate Presentation

On December 2, 2021, Delcath Systems, Inc. Presented the Corporate Presentation (Presentation, Delcath Systems, DEC 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234596394]).

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InteRNA Technologies Announces U.S. FDA Clearance of IND Application for Phase I Clinical Trial with Lead microRNA Candidate INT-1B3 in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors

On December 2, 2021 InteRNA Technologies, a clinical-stage biotech company developing microRNA (miRNA)-based therapeutics with a focus on cancer, reported it received Investigational New Drug (IND) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the company’s Phase I clinical trial evaluating lead miRNA candidate, INT-1B3, in patients with advanced solid tumors (Press release, InteRNA Technologies, DEC 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234596412]). INT-1B3 is a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulated, chemically modified mimic of the endogenous tumor suppressor, miR-193a-3p, and represents a promising novel therapeutic approach that is designed to simultaneously address multiple hallmarks of cancer.

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The IND approval enables InteRNA to expand the number of clinical sites and to facilitate the enrollment of patients for the dose expansion (Phase Ib) part of the trial in the United States. The first part of the Phase I trial was initiated in Europe at the beginning of 2021, with the dosing of the first patient in the dose escalation (Phase Ia) part in February. The treatment of the first patient in the Phase Ib cohort is planned for the second half of 2022.

"Receiving such a positive outcome from the FDA shortly after submitting a full IND application is a major achievement for us," commented Laurens van Pinxteren, Chief Operating Officer of InteRNA. "It underlines the high potential of our novel miRNA-based approach that enables us to address the multi-facetted disease cancer from different angles with one drug providing a novel therapeutic entity to patients with hard-to-treat solid tumors, such as advanced breast cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma."

Roel Schaapveld, CEO of InteRNA, added: "The IND approval enables us to enroll an international, diversified patient population, marking significant progress in the clinical evaluation of our novel therapeutic modality. The rapid, positive feedback by the FDA is highly encouraging and we look forward to start patient recruitment in the United States next year."

The multicentric, open-label, multiple ascending dose Phase I/Ib trial (NCT04675996) will investigate the safety, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and preliminary efficacy of INT-1B3 in patients with advanced solid tumors. The study is expected to enroll a total of up to 80 patients at up to 15 clinical centers in the United States and Europe. The Phase Ia part of the trial is currently ongoing in the Netherlands and Belgium and will enroll approximately 30 patients with advanced solid tumors. In the second part (Phase Ib) of the trial, approximately 50 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma or triple negative breast cancer will be enrolled in the United States and Europe. Topline results from the Phase Ia part of the study are expected in the first half of 2022.

About INT-1B3

INT-1B3’s unique mechanism of action addresses multiple hallmarks of cancer simultaneously. It directly targets tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment by specific modulation of multiple signaling pathway components across the PTEN tumor suppressor pathway and the oncogenic PI3K/Akt and Ras/MAPK pathways resulting in inhibition of proliferation and migration and induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The triggering of the immunogenic tumor cell death (ICD) process as well as downregulation of the adenosine-A2A receptor pathway through inhibition of CD39/CD73 leads to a decrease in immunosuppressive FoxP3/Lag3 regulatory T cells and monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (mMDSCs), and maturation of dendritic cells. As a result, the immune system is activated, and long-term immunity is triggered by recruitment of CD8+ effector T cells leading to decreased metastasis development and improved animal survival compared to anti-PD1 treatment.

CTI BioPharma to Present at the JMP Securities Hematology & Oncology Summit on Monday, December 6

On December 2, 2021 CTI BioPharma Corp. (NASDAQ: CTIC) reported that management will provide a corporate overview at the JMP Securities Hematology & Oncology Summit at 3:40 p.m. ET (Press release, CTI BioPharma, DEC 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234596395]). The conference will be held in a virtual meeting format.

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Presentation details:
Event: JMP Securities Hematology & Oncology Summit
Date: Monday, December 6, 2021
Time: 3:40 p.m. ET

The presentation will be webcast live and available for replay from the Investors section of CTI BioPharma’s website at www.ctibiopharma.com.

Epizyme to Present New Data from Its Oncology Portfolio at 2021 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting

On December 2, 2021 Epizyme, Inc. (Nasdaq: EPZM), a fully integrated, commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company developing and delivering transformative therapies against novel epigenetic targets, reported that new data from across its oncology portfolio will be presented at the upcoming 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, taking place from December 11 to 14, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia (Press release, Epizyme, DEC 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234596413]). These presentations include trial design and data from combination studies evaluating tazemetostat in follicular lymphoma, as well as new preclinical data on EZM0414, the Company’s novel, first-in-class, oral SETD2 inhibitor, an investigational agent being evaluated for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma or with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

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"We look forward to sharing the latest data from our growing oncology portfolio with the hematology community at this year’s meeting, including updated data from the Phase 1b portion of our Phase 1b/3 confirmatory study, SYMPHONY-1, which is evaluating the safety and optimal dose of tazemetostat plus Revlimid and Rituximab (R2). We will also be presenting preclinical data for EZM0414, our novel, first-in-class, oral SETD2 inhibitor development candidate; these data provided the rationale for our Phase 1/1b study with EZM0414, and we will be sharing the trial design in a "Trial-In-Progress" poster as well," said Dr. Shefali Agarwal, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical and Development Officer. "These data will add to our knowledge of the important role epigenetics plays in B-cell malignancies, and we are excited about the potential that targeting epigenetic regulators may hold for patients living with blood cancers."

Details of the poster presentations are listed below:

TAZEMETOSTAT

Tazemetostat is a first-in-class, oral, selective inhibitor of EZH2, which is an epigenetic regulator of B-cell identity and plays a role in both normal B-cell biology and the pathogenesis of follicular lymphoma. The interim data analysis being presented highlights the potential of tazemetostat as a backbone of combination therapies for patients living with follicular lymphoma, and includes updated safety run-in data from the Phase 1b portion of the confirmatory SYMPHONY-1 study, in addition to study follow-up on 40 patients treated with tazemetostat in combination with R2. Additional presentations include trial design details of ongoing SYMPHONY-2, a Phase 2 study evaluating tazemetostat in combination with rituximab, as well as an analysis of the molecular and genetic characterization of patients treated with tazemetostat to better understand the drivers of response to treatment.

Title: Interim Analysis of the Randomized Phase 1b/3 Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of Tazemetostat Plus Lenalidomide and Rituximab in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Follicular Lymphoma
Presenter: Connie Lee Batlevi MD, PhD, Medical Oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Abstract No: 2207
Date: Sunday, December 12, 2021, 6:00 PM-8:00 PM
Location: Hall B5 (Georgia World Congress Center)
Title: Trial in Progress: A Phase 2, Single-Arm, Open-Label, Multicenter Study of Tazemetostat in Combination with Rituximab for the Treatment of Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Lymphoma
Presenter: Krish Patel, MD, Director of Lymphoma, Swedish Cancer Institute
Abstract No: 3541
Date: Monday, December 13, 2021: 6:00 PM-8:00 PM
Location: Hall B5 (Georgia World Congress Center)
Title: Molecular and Genetic Characterization of Tumor Samples from Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Lymphoma Identifies Factors Influencing Response to Tazemetostat
Presenter: Sandeep Dave, MD, MS, Associate Professor, Division of Hematologic Malignancies & Cellular Therapy, Department of Medicine at Duke Cancer Institute
Abstract No: 1183
Date: Saturday, December 11, 2021: 5:30 PM-7:30 PM
Location: Hall B5 (Georgia World Congress Center)
EZM0414

SETD2 is a histone methyltransferase, similar to EZH2, which plays multiple important roles in oncogenesis. The preclinical data to be presented focus on the pharmacologic inhibition of SETD2 by investigational agent EZM0414, as a potential therapeutic strategy in multiple myeloma and DLBCL. These data provided the rationale for the SET-101 study, the first-in-human Phase 1/1b clinical trial designed to evaluate safety and determine the optimal dose of EZM0414. Following this dose-ranging phase, the study will be expanded to evaluate EZM0414 in three patient cohorts: t(4;14) multiple myeloma, non t(4;14) multiple myeloma, and DLBCL.

Title: A Phase 1/1b Open-Label, Multicenter, Two-Part Study of SETD2 Inhibitor EZM0414 in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma or Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Presenter: Paul G. Richardson, MD, Medical Oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Abstract No: 1679
Date: Saturday, December 11, 2021: 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM ET
Location: Hall B5 (Georgia World Congress Center)
Title: Pharmacologic Inhibition of the Histone Methyltransferase SETD2 with EZM0414 As a Novel Therapeutic Strategy in Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma and Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Presenter: Jennifer Totman, Principal Scientist at Epizyme
Abstract No: 1142
Date: Saturday, December 11, 2021: 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM ET
Location: Hall B5 (Georgia World Congress Center)
Revlimid + Rituximab (R2) is a registered trademark of Celgene Corporation, a Bristol Myers Squibb company.